Publisher: Capcom
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Devil May Cry is a franchise that although well loved, has had its share of ups and downs. Though fans loved the original with its exciting blend of blazing guns and fast paced swordplay, the sequel left a lot of gamers wondering if the series needed a fork in it. Let’s take a look at what Devil May Cry 4 is bringing to the table to see if it’s worth your time.

It’s worth mentioning that this time around, the game is not a PlayStation exclusive anymore. Capcom recently released Devil May Cry 4 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with the PC version coming soon.

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The game starts by allowing players to take control of Nero, the new protagonist. The latter part of the game will place gamers right back in the familiar hands of Dante. Nero is a holy knight of an order that worships Sparda. He shares many physical similarities to Dante and is reminiscent of the younger Dante gamers got to know in Devil May Cry 3. Even though gamers won’t be able to shake the feeling that Dante and Nero are somehow connected at the onset of the game, the youngster’s history is shrouded in mystery. Devil May Cry 4 chronicles the young demon hunter coming into his own and finding his place in the world.

Gamers don’t have to worry about having a new character changing things up too much. The gameplay remains very similar to playing as Dante. Nero uses a pistol as well as a sword. He can switch between using his gun or blade seamlessly just as Dante could as well. Gamers shouldn’t let that fool them into thinking that everything is exactly as it is with Dante because it isn’t.

One of the biggest differences between Dante and Nero is the Devil Bringer on Nero’s right arm. The Devil Bringer allows Nero to take enemies and grab and throw them. This introduces a third dynamic into the already proven mixture of gunplay and swordsmanship making the combos even more varied. For example, you can start a combo with your sword on the ground, knock an enemy up into the air, keep them juggled in the air for a bit with your gun, jump in the air to add to the combo with more sword slashes, finish it off by knocking the enemy to the ground with a sword thrust, then use the Devil Bringer to grab the enemy and bring him right back up for even more of an ass kicking before Nero even lands back on the ground.

The Devil Bringer is used for more than just busting heads though. Early in the game, it gets upgraded with even more abilities that expand upon the gameplay elements in yet another way. Gamers will see ‘grapple’ points at certain areas in the game. Nero can use his Devil Bringer to latch onto these points and pull himself over to that previously inaccessible area. This mechanic adds more of a platforming element to the series. The Devil Bringer will gain new abilities and evolve in other ways throughout the course of the game.

Another difference in the fighting between Nero and Dante is the Fuel Injection system of the Red Queen (Nero’s sword). A simple pull of the Left Trigger will make Nero ‘rev up’ the handle of his sword, similar to that of a motorcycle. Revving it up a few more times will increase the ‘Exceed’ bar to its fullest potential. This will make Nero do even more powerful, flame based moves that really take the damage to the next level.

As the game progresses, Nero gains many new abilities and evolves into a much more formidable warrior. I remember thinking earlier on in the game that I’d rather be playing with Dante and kicking ass with his familiar styles. Surely enough, by the time I reached the point in the storyline in which I had to control Dante; I was wishing I was controlling Nero again. The ramp up in learning new techniques, added to the flexibility provided by the Devil Bringer really does new things for the series. The special moves and unique grapples Nero does on the enemies and especially the bosses are often times as over the top, if not more so, than all the trash he and Dante talk.

Everything else is your classic Devil May Cry formula by the numbers. There are plenty of demons, hacking and slashing, more guns than before and of course lots of shit talking. You’ll find bosses that are larger than life, literally, and the Devil Bringer makes many of them a real roller coaster.

The only downside to the game really is that if you have a PS3, you have to sit through a mandatory install that clocks in at about 25-30 minutes. Really weak sauce indeed and it is sad to see this happening more and more frequently on PS3 titles. Hopefully we’ll see this come to an end soon, but having a mandatory install be one that takes so long is kind of crazy. Especially considering that the Xbox 360 version has no installs and there are only a few times where you’ll see loading screens and even then they’re barely three seconds long if that even.

All in all, Capcom has done the series justice with the latest iteration of the Devil May Cry series. There are plenty of things that are familiar enough for the fans of the series, with a more level learning curve compared to Devil May Cry 3. The new gameplay mechanics introduced with Nero will keep even long time Devil May Cry fans intrigued until the end. Those thinking that the series going multi-platform might soften it up a bit need not worry. The main thing that matters here is that Devil May Cry 4 has followed in the footsteps of Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 3 while still introducing new elements. The franchise is in good hands and we can’t wait to see what’s next.